1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to onboard music reproduction apparatuses that reproduce music based on music reproduction methods in response to travel conditions and operating conditions of vehicles. The present invention also relates to music information distribution systems that provide music information to onboard music reproduction apparatuses via servers and networks.
The present application claims priorities on five Japanese patent applications, i.e., Japanese Patent Application No. 2006-329489 (filing date: Dec. 6, 2006), Japanese Patent Application No. 2006-333856 (filing date: Dec. 11, 2006), Japanese Patent Application No. 2006-333853 (filing date: Dec. 11, 2006), Japanese Patent Application No. 2006-333417 (filing date: Dec. 11, 2006), and Japanese Patent Application No. 2007-36672 (filing date: Feb. 16, 2007), the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, technologies for reproducing effect sounds and musical tones with volumes, pitches, and tempos (hereinafter, referred to as reproduction parameters) in response to travel conditions and operating conditions of vehicles (hereinafter, referred to as vehicle statuses), have been developed. Onboard audio apparatuses have been disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2004-51081, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2003-309891, and Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2002-114107, for example. Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2003-309891 discloses the technology for changing reproduction parameters (e.g., volumes, pitches, and tempos) of reproduced sounds in response to engine speeds.
Although the aforementioned technologies allow drivers of vehicles (or companions sharing the same vehicles; hereinafter, referred to as listeners) to experience variations in the vehicle statuses by way of variations of reproduction parameters, they are each designed to simply reproduce the music while varying a single reproduction parameter, so that the reproduced music will become monotonous. For this reason, there is a demand to develop technologies that allow listeners to enjoy music while experiencing variations of vehicle statuses.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2004-51081 discloses an onboard music reproduction apparatus that changes volumes, pitches, tone colors, and effects in response to operations of a steering wheel and an acceleration pedal of a vehicle.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2003-150176 discloses an onboard music reproduction apparatus that reproduces music in response to travel environments (i.e., congested roads, speedways, specific positions and areas, weathers, etc.) during the traveling of a vehicle.
Although the aforementioned technologies are capable of changing reproduction parameters in response to vehicle statuses, the reproduced music will become unnatural to hear. Concrete examples will be described below.
The technology for changing reproduction parameters between high-speed travel and low-speed travel will now be explained. In the conventionally-known technologies, onboard music reproduction apparatuses are each designed to change reproduction parameters in response to the speed of a vehicle. Specifically, preset values of reproduction parameters are determined in response to the speed in advance, so that the onboard music reproduction apparatus controls reproduction parameters to match preset values suiting the present speed of a vehicle.
However, the high-speed travel and low-speed travel depend upon drivers' subjective views; hence, travel environments may greatly affect the criterion for judgments with regard to a distinction therebetween. For example, a driver may experience high-speed travel with the speed of 40 km/h or more while running an urban road of the speed limit of 50 km/h, whereas the driver may experience low-speed travel with the speed of 80 km/h while running a speedway of the speed limit of 100 km/h. In the conventionally-known technologies in which reproduction parameters are determined in advance in correspondence with the speed of a vehicle, it is necessary to determine reproduction parameters in correspondence with the speed of the vehicle after it is recognized whether the speed of the vehicle is regarded as low speed or high speed. That is, it is necessary to make a distinction regarding the criterion for judgments between the high-speed travel and the low-speed travel in response to travel environments; however, the conventionally-known technologies are not designed in such a manner, so that the reproduced music must become unnatural to hear due to travel environments.
In addition, music reproduction apparatuses, which are capable of repeatedly reproducing one or plural music reproduction units, have been known. As music reproduction units, it is possible to list rhythm patterns of prescribed time lengths, which are reproduced by way of rhythm boxes, for example.
When the aforementioned music reproduction apparatus repeats music reproduction units so as to produce sound via a speaker, the reproduced music will become monotonous. For this reason, there is a demand to realize music reproduction of rich variations in response to external environments such as vehicle statuses.
The conventionally-known technology disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2003-309891 is capable of applying variations of the volume, pitch, and tempo to reproduced musical tone signals in response to vehicle statuses; hence, it is possible to apply desired variations to the reproduced music in response to vehicle statuses.
However, the aforementioned technology is designed to simply apply variations to reproduced musical tone signals, which are not changed at all; hence, there is a limit in realization of music reproduction of rich variations.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2001-189969 discloses an example of a music distribution system, in which, when an onboard information communication terminal requests an information center to download music information thereto, for example, it transmits vehicle status information representing the travel position and travel speed of a vehicle and user setup information representing sensations of a driver and a companion sharing the same vehicle, so that it receives music information suiting the vehicle status information and the user setup information so as to perform music reproduction in the vehicle.
The aforementioned music distribution system is designed to simply select music information, which is recommended in response to the vehicle status information and the user setup information, so as to download it to the onboard information communication terminal, whereas it is difficult to control a musical tune suiting the vehicle status information in response to the travel environments of a vehicle so as to autonomously reproduce a musical tune in response to the vehicle status information. In addition, it is very difficult to provide a musical tune, which the user can enjoy in response to the vehicle status and travel environments.